August 2012 Archives

The summer between the end of girls' soccer and the start of boys' seems eternal, even with all the club activity.

Fortunately, the wait is over, and a new season is already unfolding. We have marked the start of the season with a package of stories on Naperville Central, the preseason No. 1, a list of top teams and
top players.

Beginning today, the blog launches a new weekly feature, star of the week.

Proviso East junior forward Alexis Monteon is the debut recipient. In just five games, the Pirates' star has accumulated 15 goals and eight assists in leading the Pirates to a 4-1 mark. He scored a school-record six goals in the Pirates' win over Nazareth last week that only begins to show how dominating he has been.

At just five-feet, seven-inches, Monteon evokes last year's player of the year and the state's career scoring leader, Crete-Monee's Carlos Posada. He is a blur with the ball, able to control it with either foot. "I know other people seem to have speed, too, but just not as much as me," he said.

Like Posada, his speed and athleticism set him apart. Despite his size, he plays significantly in the air. He has registered goals on headers. He floats and whirls in the air, and he has the ability to score with either foot.

Northwestern is one of several schools to dispatch scouts to his games. He also had a great summer. He is also interested in UIC. The leading scorer of the Lemont-based club program FC Raiders, Monteon powered the program to a national runner-up against Naperville-based Galaxy 94/95 Blue.

He is an intense competitor. "You can't cheat the game," Proviso East coach David Moss said. "It doesn't matter what sports, football, basketball or soccer. He loves to play, and he practices every day like it's a game.

"He's only getting better."

Monteon had four goals against a previously undefeated Curie team earlier this week. "He is blessed with so much speed, and he opens up so many opportunities for the rest of his teammates," Curie coach Leon Kim said.

Soccer is a family game. His younger brother Brandon is a highly-regarded freshman starting for the Pirates' varsity. Their sister, Jackie, a junior, is a star on the girls' team. "I started playing when I was young and I just really enjoyed the game," he said. "I did well right away, and that gave me a lot of confidence."

A Mexican-born émigré, Monteon returned to his native city of Ocotlan in Jalisco two years ago and trained for a junior national team. "It gave me a chance to work on things that I was not taught here," he said.

As a sophomore, Monteon set a school-scoring record with 25 goals and 10 assists. He is on mark to obliterate that mark. "We played against Morton, and they had three or four guys guarding him, and if a state championship team is doing that, that tells you something," Moss said.

Monteon is also proving they play something other than basketball at the Maywood school. "It's great that people are starting to recognize what we're doing, they're excited about the soccer program. I think if I continue to play the way I have, I'll be all-state again, like last year, and hopefully, All-American."

His style of play and his electrifying abilities on the field are something to behold. He generates a great deal of excitement knowing people get pumped watching him perform.

"The best part about the game is when people come out and cheer you and that motivates me more.

"You want to show people you have good skills and it also motivates me to score goals, because it just excites me to continue playing."